1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to grills, specifically outdoor food grills and cooking baskets which may be used therewith.
2. Description of the Prior Art and Objectives of the Invention
Outdoor grilling is amongst the nation's most favorite pastimes. Recognizing this, numerous grills have proliferated on the market to satisfy the urges of the increasing numbers of outdoor chefs. Some have been adapted for gas use and may even be used indoors. Other grills have been produced which are round, square, spherical, and almost any shape imaginable. People cook everything from hot dogs, hamburgers, and steaks to potatoes and mushrooms on their grills.
While functional and convenient, conventional grills create problems flipping items placed on the grill's wire mesh or other cooking surface. For example, hamburgers may crumble or stick to the wire mesh and cause difficulty as a user attempts to insert a spatula between the hamburger and the wire mesh during cooking. A potato wrapped in aluminum foil may be irregularly shaped and thus difficult to turn with a spatula or tongs as the irregularities cause the potato to "tip over" from its desired positioning. Another problem arises when the wire mesh is so crowded that it is difficult to position the spatula under a selected item, resulting in time wasted repositioning items while the selected item burns.
Additionally, repeated use of standard grills often causes the bottom to "burn out" as charcoal ash and fat can mix to form a caustic solution which rusts and corrodes the bottom of the grill.
Thus, with the above problems and limitations in mind, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a wire mesh cooking basket which readily and securely receives items to be cooked and also facilitates rotation of said items while cooking.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a grill which includes a tubular compartment which is proximate the cooking coals, below the basket, and which evenly distributes heat within for an additional cooking area.
It is yet a further objective of the present invention to provide a grill which is well suited for use in combination with the above mentioned cooking basket.
It is still a further objective of the present invention to provide a grill which is easily adapted for use with gas, charcoal, wood or other fuels.
It is another objective to provide a set of easily replaceable metal pans which line the grill bottom to prevent rusting.
It is yet another objective to provide a grill which holds a cooking basket.
It is still another objective to provide a grill which may be closed to smother a fire or reduce smoke.
These and other objectives and advantages will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to the following detailed description and appended claims.